Effects of Population Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices on COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control in NUST.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the education sector of most countries. One of the basic CDC prevention guidelines is the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to protect the health of students and staff members to curve the spread of COVID-19. The current study aimed to examine the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and practices of students at the Namibia University of Technology toward the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted using a closed-ended questionnaire. Data were collected from full-time students who were on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic between 29 January to 14 February 2021. The average knowledge about the modes of transmission, protective measures, and clinical symptoms ranged from 78% to 96%. About 31% of student respondents believed the virus was created in a laboratory, and 47% believed the vaccine has negative side effects and therefore, refused to take it. The three main sources of information about COVID-19 were social media (75%), television (63%), and friends and family (50%). The students had an overall positive attitude towards the implementation of NPIs. However, the importance of vaccine safety must be emphasized. Lockdowns should be lifted gradually to reduce the amount of time students are spending on online content. Reopening of classrooms for face-to-face study will bring unquestionable benefits to students and the wider economy.

Women's perception of cervical cancer pap smear screening.

AIM: The study examines limiting factors associated with cervical cancer Pap smear screening among participants of reproductive age attending a healthcare facility in Namibia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive and exploratory study was conducted. METHODS: The data were collected using a face-to-face interview (qualitative) and a structured questionnaire (quantitative). A total of 49 participants (10 qualitative and 39 quantitative) aged 17-45 years participated in the study. RESULTS: The study revealed that 80% of participants have limited knowledge of cervical cancer, while 49% have never done the test before and 8% were not informed of the screening and risk of the disease. Furthermore, 49% of participants responded that the screening fees are not affordable. Meanwhile, all participants (100%) complained of the long waiting period. Other main barriers for not screening were missed announcements and unsuitable time allocation. Knowledge on cervical cancer and turn-up for Pap smear screening test was low among participants of reproductive age.

Non-Alcoholic Pearl Millet Beverage Innovation with Own Bioburden: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus gallinarum.

The appropriate solution to the problem of quality variability and microbial stability of traditional non-alcoholic pearl millet fermented beverages (NAPMFB) is the use of starter cultures. However, potential starter cultures need to be tested in the production process. We aimed to identify and purify bioburden lactic acid bacteria from naturally fermented pearl millet slurry (PMS) and assess their effectiveness as cultures for the production of NAPMFB. Following the traditional Kunun-zaki process, the PMS was naturally fermented at 37 °C for 36 h. The pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total viable count (TVC) and the soluble sugar were determined at 3 h interval. The presumptive LAB bacteria were characterized using a scanning electron microscope, biochemical tests and identified using the VITEK 2 Advanced Expert System for microbial identification. The changes in pH and TTA followed a non-linear exponential model with the rate of significant pH decrease of 0.071 h-1, and TTA was inversely proportional to the pH at the rate of 0.042 h-1. The Gompertz model with the mean relative deviation modulus, 0.7% for LAB and 2.01% for TVC explained the variability in microbial growth during fermentation. The LAB increased significantly from 6.97 to 7.68 log cfu/mL being dominated by Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Streptococcus and Enterococcus with an optimum fermentation time of 18 h at 37 °C and 4.06 pH. L. mesenteroides and P. pentosaceus created an acidic environment while E. gallinarum increased the pH of the pearl millet extract (PME). Innovative NAPMFB was produced through assessment of LAB from PMS to PME fermented with L. mesentoroides (0.05%) and P. pentosaceus (0.025%) for 18 h, thereby reducing the production time from the traditional 24 h.

Suitability of Crop Residues as Feedstock for Biofuel Production in South Africa: A Sustainable Win-Win Scenario.

Alternative sources of energy are required for easing the burdens associated with the use of fossil fuels especially for African nations. There are barriers associated with the use of advanced biofuels such as immature technology, availability of reliable feedstock data, policy instruments among others in many African countries. The present study is aimed towards providing reliable feedstock generation data from 21 major crops produced in South Africa. By mining existing data on crop production and area harvested in literature, a technique called residue to product ratio (RPR) was used to generate data on the available feedstock for bioenergy production. Results showed that there is huge amount of available crop biomass (estimated at 13.5 Mt) in South Africa which can be tapped to produce biofuels. Cropped biomass from grains, oilseeds and deciduous fruits are estimated to produce 7 million tons of bio-oil via fast pyrolysis route or about 2 tons of bio-ethanol via biochemical route. The bulk of cropped biomass are estimated to contribute to a realization of the renewable energy target in South Africa by 2050. This study will assist government policy makers, waste managers, researchers as well as potential investors to make informed decision on biofuel generation in South Africa.